Some might ask if ‘coming of age’ was a good thing as far as property investors are concerned; the answer is probably ‘yes’. Ewan McGarrie of propertyinvestment.co.uk recently described the East European city centre market as ‘large and stable’ and particularly highlighted Budapest as a stable residential market with good capital appreciation prospects. Yesterday we juxtaposed the possibilities of much smaller Zagreb with Croatia’s Adriatic coastline and made the point that Zagreb, as the capital city, is drawing in the country’s professional ‘cadres’.

However, there is a bigger story to tell in the dynamic economic prospects of Eastern Europe, which have been largely overshadowed by commentators concentrating on the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) economies. Unlike Russia and China, East European businesses are well placed for attracting the profitable, well-paid (development and marketing) ends of the ‘smiley curve’ as well as the less remunerative manufacturing.